


Year 2112

by natallijean



Series: Always another show [1]
Category: One Direction (Band)
Genre: 22nd Century, Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Humans are full of shit, Hybrid Harry, Hybrid Zayn, Hybrids, Inaccurate portrayal of the future, M/M, Racism, Smut, Speciesism, The 21st century is ridiculous
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-05-04
Updated: 2013-05-26
Packaged: 2017-12-10 09:43:22
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 8
Words: 10,745
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/784636
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/natallijean/pseuds/natallijean
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Welcome to the future, where Liam is a 21st century nerd, Louis is Louis, and Harry and Zayn are almost human.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Politically correct

The shrill scream of the buzzer jolted Liam from a particularly sweet dream, which involved him finally acquiring the Apple iPhone 3G (2008, mint) - a piece that had been spectacularly hard to find especially after Apple Inc. went bust in 2049.

“The fuck, Louis. Seriously!?” he yelled at no one in particular, “You have the access codes, get on the Verticator up yourself!”

“For the last time, I refuse to call it a Verticator. It moves diagonally, _diagonally_ up to your unreasonably high apartment!” came the reply, again from nowhere in particular.  
  


  
  
  
Liam had been tempted to call the voice in his apartment JARVIS 2.0, after the artificial intelligence system that 21st century comic superhero Tony Stark (alias Iron Man) had installed in his house. But that would be saying that the voice in his ceiling was intelligent, which it wasn’t because Liam had tried and failed to program it to ignore any of Louis’s wheedling, whining and puppy eyes - in fact, he swore the voice loved Louis a lot more than it did him.

The technology was new, which explained why the voice was sometimes unreliable - a 2110 model that had locked Liam out three times now after Liam yelled at it, and called in the firemen once when Liam burnt dinner. But it came pre-installed with his condominium unit, and refused to be uninstalled, arguing that he could “barely take care of himself”.

********  


Groaning, Liam made his way to the Verticator and pressed down.  
  
  
  


 

“Seriously, this is why you’re not getting laid Liam,” scoffed Louis, holding up a copy of _Twilight: Breaking Dawn_.  
  
“That, is a valuable piece of 21st century American literature you are holding, Lou. Mint.”  
  
“My point exactly.”  
  
“Not smart, Lou, considering you want something from me.”  
  
“Whoever said anything about that?” the shorter lad replied, all too innocently.  
  
“You’re here at 8 in the morning, one. And two, you brought your best bargaining chip,” said Liam, gesturing at the curly-haired lad who had made himself comfortable on Liam’s couch, “Look, spill. I like Harry a lot more than I like you, but if you’re tired of him or something, I’m not taking him off your hands.”

********

 

 

A pet, or a petbeing, or a hydripanion (hybrid+companion geddit?) - Liam had lost track of the politically correct names the hybrid right activists had coined in recent years after governments had approved animal-human hybrids for sale and trade in 2078.  
  
The argument was that hybrids, most carrying more than 70% of human DNA, should be accorded the same rights as humans - to marry, to get jobs, to enjoy tax exemptions (except hybrids don’t pay tax, so to get tax exemptions, they would have to qualify to pay tax first - confusing? yes.), to not to have to wear collars, to walk around in public alone etc.  
  
But hybrids were bred to be pets that can actually clean up after themselves and talk to their human owners, say the dissenters - wouldn’t this be defeating the original purpose of breeding them in the first place? After all, if humans wanted to keep another fully-recognized, living human around, they would have children!  
  
The way Liam saw it, it was pointless arguing either way. The people who wanted hybrids and could actually afford them never participated in the debate. Hybrids were happy being hybrids (hybripanions!) and owners (human companions!) were happy being whatever the activists wanted to call them.  
  
So when Louis had turned 23 and moved into the snazzy new apartment up on 8th Street, he had gone straight to the neighborhood breeder’s and gotten Harry, a young British shorthair hybrid with pretty cat ears hidden in a head of curls, and green eyes that reminded him of the sea. The two had gotten on splendidly, though Liam had debated the logic of acquiring a pet that towered over you at full height. But Louis had always liked living large, so there.  
  
If you asked Liam to define their relationship though, he was pretty sure Louis and Harry were not just owner and pet. Their relationship is... what was it the 21st century nutters had called it again?  
  
Bestiality. Yeah. That’s the word.


	2. 21st century American Literature

Liam couldn’t believe that Louis had gotten him to fly here, 80 miles out on a Sunday morning, when he could be sleeping (or trying to outbid _ultimut21nerd_ for a The Avengers 3 [2018] poster signed by Chris Evans, Captain America himself).  
  
  
 _It’s so sad, Liam, to hear about all the hybrids that are being sent to shelters because they can’t get good homes._ \- is what Louis had said after prattling on and on about a recent documentary Harry and he had caught about the hybrid trade.

_No, I have no time and energy, and I will not move my 21st-century shrine of obsolete technology into the storeroom to accommodate another (almost) human being_ \- is what Louis had heard and promptly ignored, deciding that it was time Liam “stepped up to do his part for society”.  
  
“Adopt don’t buy!” he said.  
"It will be fun!” he said.  
  
 _If I had known I would have gotten mine from a shelter instead of being part of this awful conspiracy!_ \- is what Louis should not have said, because now Liam was stuck with a sulking 30% cat in the back and a best friend with a clawed-apart right sleeve in his passenger seat.  
  
“We have arrived at One Direction Sanctuary!” announced the annoyingly chirpy voice from Liam’s speakers. Liam swore that the voice (henceforth known as The Voice), which had also installed itself in his shuttler, was only this chipper when Louis was around.  
  
“I’m just going to look, Lou. I’m not promising anything,” hissed Liam as he got out.  
  
“C’mon! It’ll be fun. Right Haz?”  
  
“He’s still not talking to you Lou. How fun is that?” Liam pointed out as the two best friends watched Harry stalk away from them and to the entrance of the sanctuary, tail high in the air.

 

  
  
15 minutes into the One Direction tour and Liam swore he was about to be sick as the guide - Niall, a cheery boy with a head of blond hair - took the trio down rows of cells, housing hybrids who were unwanted/abandoned/not fit for sale etc. Louis looked like he was about to burst out in tears and Harry by now had forgiven him and was clutching on to the shorter boy as Niall explained why each one of the hybrids was here.  
  
“Well, isn’t it great that Liam is looking to adopt? You can give one of them a deserving home!” piped Louis.  
  
“Wha...” Liam was just about to disagree, but he couldn’t say no to three pairs of puppy eyes (isn’t it funny though, how Harry is 30% cat and pulls off puppy eyes?), “Yeah I guess,” he finished weakly.  
  
“That’s great! You’d make a great human companion! I can just feel it!” Niall grinned as he ushered them down yet another row, “Take your time to pick! When you find the one, you’ll know!”

****

 

 

_Take your time_ was right, because it had been an hour now and Liam had not made the connection, or felt the knowing rush of OHMYGODHE’STHEONE that Louis claimed he felt the first time he set eyes on Harry. Every single hybrid he looked at had either avoided his gaze or stared at him as though he was vermin, and he was beginning to think that maybe he was just not destined to have a pet... er, hybrid companion.  
  
“And this, is Zayn!” Niall gestured at the cell with a flourish.  
  
  
Yep. There it was. Liam knew exactly how Louis had felt now.

 

 

 

The thing was, Liam had absolutely no idea why Zayn was here. He was as perfect as hybrids came, all lean and lanky with black ears and a proud long tail. His hazel eyes had locked on Liam’s the moment Liam arrived at his cell and Liam couldn’t help but notice his cheekbones and the perfect jawline that a full human would kill for. His tag read “Persian mix” - and Liam was no expert, but he knew a pedigree when he saw one - Zayn would have cost almost twice as much as Harry at the breeder’s.  
  
“Wrong color,” Niall shrugged, “They had to put him here because he was too old and collectors wouldn’t buy a Persian that came this dark.”  
  
“That... That’s a ridiculous reason to put someone here.” Liam frowned.  
  
Discrimination based on the color of your skin was so 21st-century, and sure he liked 21st-century humans and their quirks well enough, but racism was one of the things he was glad society had moved on from by now. Or had they?  
  
“Racism is only racism when you’re at least 95% human by composition I guess,” Niall answered with a sad smile, “Would you like to meet him?”  
  
Liam nodded mutely, allowing Niall to let him into the small space.  
  
“We’ll leave you guys be! Be back in ten!”

 

 

 

“Hi. I’m Liam. And I guess I’m your new ow... human companion,” Liam could have kicked himself for using the politically incorrect term.  
  
The other lad only smiled, his ears twitching. Liam had no idea how to read cat behavior actually - Harry was very human most of the time, except for his ridiculous obsession with tuna and lying belly-up in the sun. In fact, Harry was probably more human than Louis if you asked him.  
  
 _Does he like me?_ Liam thought, _or is this one of those cat things where they pretend to like you by smiling but actually hate you? Oh God I am going to be a terrible owner._  
  
“I guess you don’t talk much. I um... I’m twenty two - will be twenty three in a month. My best friend Louis has a hybrid too. Name’s Harry - the cutest thing actually. They’re the ones that brought me here you know. And you seem real... nice. So I guess if you don’t mind you could come home with me? I live on the 58th floor actually, so I’d appreciate it if you don’t do one of those cat things and try to leap out of my window. Um... Do you speak English, actually? I hope you do because that’s all I can speak. I suppose I could learn er... Arabian or whatever it is you speak...”

“English. English is fine,” a silky, almost musical voice interrupted him.  
  
“Oh. Oh you speak.” Liam looked up to see the boy grinning.  
  
“I may be the wrong color, but I speak alright.”

“That’s... that’s not what I meant! I mean...”

“It’s fine. I’m used to it. Life here’s not bad. I get to stretch my legs for an hour every day in the garden, and Niall gives me books.”

“You also read.”

“Was that a question?”

“No! I mean.. yeah? I guess? Is that offensive? If that’s offensive I can stop... I have books. You know, reading... stuff.”

“Yeah, I know. Reading stuff,” he chuckled on the ears on top of his head twitched some more.

Liam swore he would have to reconsider Harry’s title as “the cutest thing” because this Persian mix, wrong color or not, was the walking definition of Adorable.

“So, Zayn. What kind of books do you like?”

“Oh you know, just the stuff Niall brings us. 21st century American Literature?”


	3. Welcome home

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Zayn goes home.

You would have thought adoption would be a straightforward process - you made the connection, packed your stuff, and then left. But no, the process of acquiring a hybrid, especially one from the shelter, was an unnecessarily complicated process that required too many signatures and an unnecessarily long to-do list.

Can’t go out without a collar, can’t be let out alone, can’t mate with other hybrids (the law had been passed after a rise in inbred birth defects), needs to be microchipped, needs to be vaccinated, checkups at the vet every half-yearly, no chocolate, no milk, no allowing your hybrid to hunt (what?)...

Harry had taken to Zayn almost immediately, taking him by the hand and excitedly going on about playdates (really Louis, _playdates?_ ), dressing up and essentially detailing every single embarrassing thing that Louis and Liam had done in the past year throughout the ride home.

 

Like the time The Voice sent Liam’s toaster to wake him up by spitting hot buttered toast on his face at 7 in the morning.  
And the time Liam tried to get Louis to read an actual paperback and Louis spent half an hour swiping his fingers across the cover trying to get the page to turn.  
Or the time Louis stumbled upon 21st century erotica in one of Liam’s display cases ( _50 Shades of Grey_ is literature, Harry!)

 

“And did I tell you about the time we went to Mars and...”

“Okay Harry I think Zayn’s had enough for now,” Liam cut in, “And Zayn, welcome home.”

 

 

 

Liam’s wasn’t the first human home Zayn had been to. A girl named Perrie with shocking purple hair and a ready smile had come to pick Zayn up half a year ago. But that hadn’t lasted long because as it turned out, her wife is deathly allergic to cat fur, and Persians had the tendency to shed quite a bit. The couple had been devastated, all teary apologies and Zayn remembered taking Perrie into his arms, patting her awkwardly on the back as Jade stayed a safe distance across the room, hidden behind a surgical mask.

Niall was nice too - he brought books (real books! not the virtual kind). Sometimes when things got slow at the shelter he’d bring his dad’s old iPad 34 - the last model Apple Inc. had made before going out of business - and they’d spend time watching crappy 21st century superhero movies with the worst special effects ever.

These days, nobody brought tablets around, since almost everyone owned one of those visors that could play anything you wanted on the lenses. People even read books on those things. But Niall had always preferred the human touch of sharing screens, so they were stuck watching old movies because nobody made films in that format anymore.

Niall. Niall was the best. They’d made friends almost instantly the first day he had come to work. There was something different about Niall - he scented different from other humans and seemed to want to be friends with the hybrids rather than own one.

Later, Zayn found out that Niall was 3% starfish- an unfortunate accident when he was just a toddler had led him to lose a finger, and doctors had injected him with the serum to grow out a new one. He wasn’t classed as hybrid though - being more than 95% human by composition granted you full rights.

And this boy, Liam, seemed nice too. He was awkward and had the tendency to ramble when he was embarrassed. He seemed really careful about not offending Zayn too, which to Zayn, was interesting because most people who came for viewings tended to talk over his head and try to scratch behind his ears, forgetting that Zayn could understand English, and was not actually a cat.

One look at Liam’s home, and Zayn was pretty sure Liam and Niall would get on like a house on fire.

 

 

 

“Um.. okay. Bathroom’s here. You know how to... you’re... you know...” Liam gestured awkwardly, trying to find a less offensive word for “toilet-trained”.

“I know how to use the bathroom.” Zayn confirmed.

“Yeah... Of course. You’re not actually a real cat are you?” Liam muttered, mentally kicking himself. He never really knew where he was supposed to stand on the great human-hybrid debate, but _how are you supposed to treat a boy that you had to microchip, vaccinate and put a collar on_? He almost wished Louis and Harry hadn’t left.

“And er... I know they say you’re not supposed to go out or anything. But sometimes Harry just heads here anyway, especially after Louis does something to piss him off again. You can put on a beanie and tuck your tail down your pants or something I suppose. I don’t expect you to stay here all day while I’m at work.”

“They... they fight a lot?” Zayn ventured, figuring it wouldn’t hurt to ask, then backpedalling an unreadable expression came over Liam’s face. “I’m sorry... I should have asked. It’s not really my place to know.”

“No, no... Zayn it’s fine. I just, I’m not sure how to explain it to you...”

How exactly was he supposed to explain to Zayn, a hybrid who had pretty much spent his whole life being judged, appraised and classed by humans, that Louis and Harry didn’t exactly have what most people considered a normal human-hybrid relationship?

Sure, there were hybrids bred for the sex trade, but that was legal as long as they themselves didn’t profit from it. Humans ran those businesses and kept them fed, clothed and warm, as opposed to roaming the streets without a collar, or ending up in a shelter like Zayn did. It was a pretty awful trade, but there were rules in place - hybrids couldn’t be recruited unless they wanted to be, had to be at least 18 years of age, have completed the mandatory 10 years of education, and could only work 35 hours a week with at least one day off.

But Harry was different. Louis had fallen hard and fast for the green-eyed boy with the curly hair. They had been dating for half a year now ( _And the sex is awesome!_ supplied Louis) and Louis was all but ready to take Harry to Paris after France became the fourth country in the world to grant humans and hybrids full marriage rights.

Liam thought it was funny how history seemed to repeat itself - just a hundred years ago, gay people couldn’t get married in most countries all over the world, and hate crimes were still being committed against LGBT people. Fast forward to 2112, and homophobia was uttered like a dirty word.

In a matter of time, Liam thought, our 23rd century descendants will be scoffing at how uncivilized we are.


	4. I knew you were trouble

It had been strangely easy for Zayn to get comfortable in Liam’s apartment. He didn’t know much about humans, but Liam was definitely well-off - What with his fancy apartment with fancy appliances and his fancy shuttler and his fancy walk-in mini museum of old stuff and his fancy everything else.

Liam had even gone out and gotten Zayn some expensive shampoo that smelled like strawberries and fixed his shedding problem. He still hated the bath with a passion though, and it had taken Liam all of half an hour to coax him into the tub because he well and truly _smelled_. Zayn never understood why he couldn’t have inherited the grace, agility and general bad-assery that felines had, but instead got the water-fearing genes and quite inexplicably, a fear of heights.

And the library. Zayn could write poems about the walk-in library that Liam had - the smell of real paper books was the one thing Zayn loved. He spent entire lazy afternoons in there, poring over the extensive collection of old books in there. He had finished all seven books of the _Harry Potter_ series and was just about to start on _The Hunger Games_.

The thing was, Zayn never really knew where he stood with Liam. He was probably rusty from lack of practice, but nothing in school had ever taught him how to deal with an owner/master/companion like Liam. He would have loved to please him - rub against him like a real cat and even indulge him if he wanted to play ball like with a puppy, even though Zayn hated the pointless game of chasing and catching over and over again. Zayn had even tried to offer to help out with chores, but Liam had simply given him an extremely confused look.

 

“Chores?”

“You know, the laundry, cooking?” Zayn supplied helpfully. Not that he did either spectacularly well, but he could learn.

And Liam had laughed and waved him off, replying, “The Voice does it, don’t worry. It’s one of the pre-installed features.”

 

Oh, and The Voice. It was one of those newfangled things with a mind of its own, and Zayn had finally begun to understand what Harry was talking about when he tried to explain the sentient Artificial Intelligence living in Liam’s ceiling that also powered all of Liam’s household appliances, did the shopping, reminded Liam to call his mother and whose favorite pastime was teaming up with Louis to play pranks on Liam. It was creepy at first, but Zayn had begun to appreciate The Voice a lot more, especially in the day when Zayn was home alone and just needed someone to talk to.

 

“You should talk to Liam about it,” The Voice had advised after Zayn had complained once again that _I don’t know what he wants from me, he doesn’t ask me for anything or ask me to do anything, and I’m bored out of my mind here Joshhhhhhhh_ (Zayn had decided two days into his stay that The Voice needed a name, so Josh it was)

“I don’t want to go to kitty daycare or wherever it is people send their pets to,” he replied.

Zayn wanted to be like Harry. Harry had a job - something to do instead of whiling away his time at home watching movies and reading. Sure, it was illegal but Louis didn’t care, especially since Louis owned the bakery that Harry worked at anyway (I HIRE WHO I WANT - LOUIS TOMLINSON), and customers loved the catboy with the ready smile bringing them their baked goods. It also meant that Harry could take off any time he wanted to spend the day with Zayn when he got bored, which was very often these days.

Harry also had Louis, and they were in something Liam had called a “romantic relationship”. Not a difficult concept to wrap his head around - Perrie and Jade had been in one too, except that Harry was also part-cat, making their situation very unusual indeed.

Zayn wondered if Liam was the sort to want a romantic relationship from him too, since Louis was his best friend and the one who had suggested Liam get a hybrid for himself. And if Harry’s accounts were anything to go by, it would mean that Liam would ambush him from the back, plant a kiss on his cheeks, twirl him around and whisper sweet nothings into his ear.

And they would bake cookies over the weekend and take long trips overseas.

And there would be a lot of sex.

Sex, which Zayn had learnt about and heard of, but never actually had. He understood the mechanics well enough and figured out for himself how the whole _pleasuring yourself_ thing worked. But sex, according to Harry, was very, very different. _Better different_.

  

 

“Did you get me for sex?” Zayn asked over dinner - Italian today. Liam had been horrified to hear that Zayn had pretty much eaten only kibble, rice and dried fish his entire life, and made a point to get The Voice to whip up something different every day. 

“What!?” Liam nearly choked on his mouthful of spaghetti, “I would never... I'm not... Who have you been talking to, Zayn?”

Zayn shrugged, “You know I pretty much only talk to Harry and Josh.”

Liam felt his heart clench a little. He did feel bad for leaving Zayn alone all the time while he worked, only taking him out on weekends and to meet Louis and Harry.

“Oh, Zayn. You do know you can go out if you want to. Is there anywhere you want to go? I’ll get The Voice to start up the shuttler for you,” he offered.

“Harry says that sex feels awesome. Real sex I mean,” Zayn persisted, “He says it’s the best part of a romantic relationship.”

Liam could feel his cheeks flushing as he tried to explain, “But we’re not in a romantic relationship.” 

“Do you want to be in a romantic relationship with me?”

 

 

It wasn’t that Liam didn’t want to be in a relationship. It was just that he never really had the desire to settle down with someone and spend the rest of his life with him. He never had the time to see anyone on a regular basis anyway - his cushy job at Tumblr Co., a shipping firm, taking up most of his weekdays and sometimes the weekends. Louis had pretty much been his only friend until Harry and subsequently Zayn had stumbled into his life. 

Still, Liam hadn’t thought much about it in the last two months that Zayn had moved in and he suddenly found himself having to plan for nights out and trips on the weekends. Liam never got around to clearing out the spare room, since Zayn had spent the first night in his bed and continued, claiming that Liam’s apartment was cold and he wanted something warm to sleep with, and that was that.

But a companion and a boyfriend were two separate things altogether. Liam had dated a fellow Business major, Andy once in college, and it had crashed and burned spectacularly after Liam caught him snogging a jock in the showers. A boyfriend was your equal, someone you could settle down, possibly have children, pets, a fancy sentient apartment and a five-seater shuttler with. A companion was well... someone like Zayn.

Beautiful, perfect Zayn. Sometimes Liam wondered how he had lucked out and allowed himself to be talked into adopting the beautiful Persian mix with a penchant for reading and learned the lyrics to every Taylor Swift song he could convince The Voice to find and play for him. 

 _Really, that awful early 2000s pop act? Liam’s bad taste is rubbing off on you_ , Louis had scoffed.

And Liam would be lying if said he had never thought about taking things further with Zayn. The boy was beautiful, loved (or tried to love) the things that Liam loved, and got on splendidly with Louis and Harry. Hell, he even got on with The Voice - whom he renamed Josh - and The Voice was much nicer and less sarcastic to Liam now. Life had indeed become better after Zayn had stepped into his life.

Liam was fucked now, wasn’t he?


	5. Is this the real life?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Slight abuse, blatant specisim. Probably no triggers because I highly doubt any of my readers are part cat.

Liam had extricated himself from a potentially awkward discussion about the birds and the bees by standing up hurriedly and muttering something about calling his mother - which in this case meant listening to a hologram of her go on endlessly about how it was _time to settle down with a nice boy_ , and how she _never saw him in the flesh anymore_. Zayn hadn’t pressed the matter, but came to him stuttering and nervous two days later to ask for Liam’s permission to work in Louis’s bakery.

Which is how Liam came to become Louis’s best customer, coming in after work every day to sit in the bakery till closing time to take a very tired but happy hybrid home.

Liam had never considered himself much of a rebel or a revolutionary. He had taken the tried and tested route to college, then found himself a high-paying job after graduation and worked up the ranks. Louis was just the opposite. The two best friends had played on the same football team all through high school, but Louis had said _fuck this school thing_ and gone on traveling (by land, mind you) from city to city in a beat up truck that still ran on diesel until he found what he called _his purpose in life_.

It was just as well that Louis was sitting on a big fat inheritance had had a brilliant business mind, because he landed unceremoniously two years ago, literally on Liam’s doorstep and decided that his new purpose in life was to serve good food. And Louis’s Buns -complete with a logo of an illustration of Louis’s ass - was born.

So Liam considered it Louis’s bad influence on his life decisions that Zayn came to become one of two _exotic catboy waiters_ of Louis’s Buns, effectively giving a middle finger to whatever regulations were in place about _not letting your hybrids run loose in public_.

 

 

“I am going to kill Liam. And then I’m going to kill you, and then bring you back from the dead so that I can kill you again,” Niall whispered furiously. 

It had been an accident really. Niall had walked into Louis’s Buns after hearing rave reviews about the bread and cakes there. _The only bakery that still uses an oven and kneads their dough by hand!_ it had said.

And then he had seen Zayn milling around serving coffee to patrons and letting little old ladies stroke his tail and pat his ears, not quite caring that he was breaking about forty laws by just _being there_.

“I asked him to let me. I was bored.” Zayn fiddled with his fingers in his lap as he sat in the corner table with his old friend, his voice miserable.

At Zayn’s reply, Niall reached across the table, fingers running over the gold tag that said **PAYNE** hanging on Zayn’s black leather collar, “He treats you well then?”

Zayn nodded, a smile forming on his face as he thought of Liam and all the nice things he had said and done for him. He had been lucky to land himself with Liam - Zayn had heard of the horror stories that some of his mates in the shelter about awful owners who wouldn’t even let their hybrids out into the sun, or remember to feed them. Liam was the exact opposite though, sometimes even falling over himself to make Zayn feel at home. It was all quite cute, really.

“I guess that explains why you’re all soft in the middle now huh Zayn?” Niall teased, poking at his stomach.

“Am not!” Zayn snapped, but peered down his shirt to be sure. He had indeed filled out a little, but he hadn’t realized it was so obvious.

“Oh, Zaynie. Relax. I like it. It’s a good look on you.” Niall laughed and tousled his hair, voice dropping as he warned, “But you be careful, alright?”

 

 

Liam eyed the digits in the air above him impatiently as time moved impossibly slow. The Voice had somehow managed to pull out Zayn’s birth records and Liam just had time to arrange a quick dinner in a nice part of town to celebrate the hybrid’s 19th birthday. It was supposed to be a surprise, but Liam guessed that Zayn had probably figured out what they were doing when he had told him to leave work early and dress nice, even if he didn’t know what the occasion was.

 He was pleased with the present he got Zayn - three John Green books that he managed to bid for, still in their original plastic wrapping. Liam had already read the virtual versions, but paperbacks were always a treat these days when nobody used paper for anything much anymore, and he wanted Zayn to have them. Liam could literally imagine Zayn biting his lip, attempting to conceal his mounting excitement at the new reading material, but quite failing to disguise it as the black ears on his head perked up in interest. It was funny how he could memorize most of Zayn’s reactions and facial expressions by now, just four months in.

  

 

“Hello there!”

Zayn looked up from his seat in the direction of the voice, only to see a pretty, blue-eyed girl in a pink frilly dress waving enthusiastically at him.

“Hello little princess. What can I do for you?” he cooed, smiling as she squealed in delight.

“Are those real? Can I touch?” she asked, motioning towards Zayn’s ears.

Zayn obligingly bent his head down so the little girl could pet his ears. He often met little children coming in for sweets at the bakery, and always made sure to give them extra large helpings because little humans were just.so.adorable. _Not as cute as you_ , Liam would say, only to be met with Zayn’s protests of _I’m not cute! I’m handsome_.

He found himself being tugged by the hand to play with Becca, as she had later introduced herself. No harm, he figured, since Liam wouldn’t be here for another fifteen minutes.

“BECCA!”

Zayn hardly had any time to turn in the direction of the burly voice when he found himself being dragged up by the collar and thrown to the ground.

Becca shrieked. The large man who had thrown him delivered two kicks to his ribs for good measure and spat, “Get your filthy paws off my daughter!”

Doubled over, Zayn could barely register Becca’s cries and the man’s rant about _filthy half-breeds_ and _get off my daughter you disgusting animal_ as blow after blow continued to rain on him. He tried to get up. Tried to explain that _we were just playing_ , but the hits came hard and fast, relentless. 

_This must be it then. This was what Niall had talked about, the bad owners and awful humans outside of the sanctuary. The kind that had starved little Dan almost to death before Niall had managed to rescue him from his abusive home. The ones that left Quinn leashed to the shelter’s gate after she outgrew the cute puppy phase. The type that thought his kind were disgusting and not fit to be friends, or lovers. He would never have what Louis and Harry had. Because no matter how good and sweet Liam was, he would never fancy a half-breed like him._

“Don’t ever let me see you again!” the man had yelled, before stamping on his tail with his boot for good measure, leaving him on the floor and pulling Becca away, the child still screaming and crying.

Zayn knew by the sound of the sickening crack and the searing pain that shot up his tail and back that something had broken. He wanted to pass out, but he couldn’t, the pain just short of knocking him unconscious, the tears blurring his vision. In his clouded haze he thought he saw people walking by, staring curiously at him before moving on, but he could focus on nothing but _LiamLiamLiam_.

 

 

At some point in time Zayn must have managed to escape into the inviting blackness, because he woke up to a throbbing headache and a familiar bed. Zayn sniffed deeply, taking in Liam’s unmistakable scent. If it weren’t for the pain that still lingered on his back and the fact that he couldn’t feel his tail, he could almost convince himself that it had just been a nightmare.

“Zayn? Zayn!” Liam’s urgent voice cut through the silence and Zayn felt fingers in his hair caressing his head and scratching behind his ears. _Comfortable_. “How are you feeling?”

“Sore. Where’s m’tail?” Zayn mumbled.

Zayn swore he heard Liam chuckle a little, the tension giving way to amusement, “The vet put it in a cast to reset the broken bone. Looks like you’ll be lying on your stomach for a while.”

Burying himself deeper into the sheets, Zayn groaned, “M’sorry. Ruined dinner.”

“You don’t have anything to be sorry about, Zayn,” Liam’s hand moved from his head to his neck and then to his back, rubbing gently in circles.

Liam sighed as Zayn slipped back into unconsciousness, the painkillers taking effect once more. Louis and he had spent a good fifteen minutes searching the vicinity after Zayn was nowhere to be found near his usual spot, before a soft, wounded mewling had drawn them to a playground not far from the shop.

Louis had been teary and apologetic for letting Zayn out of his sight. But Liam - Liam had been furious. Furious at the person who had done this, and furious at the people who had simply walked by, some gawking. Then he became sick when he realized Zayn’s tail was sticking out at an odd angle, and his ears were scratched and bleeding, his breathing labored.

And then panic took over him as Zayn slipped into unconsciousness, the irrational part of his brain worrying that _this was it_. He had lost Zayn forever, before he had given him his presents, to see his family, or taken him traveling. Or kissed him, or done the hundreds of things that they had listed on their bucket list.


	6. I can show you the world

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Liam doesn't always do elaborate, but when he does, it's shining, shimmering, splendid.

Harry and Zayn lay on the couch, arms and legs all tangled in each other as Zayn’s just-healed tail still stuck a little sadly to the right. Harry had insisted on popping over every day or so when Zayn was recuperating, claiming that work wasn’t nearly as fun without Zayn there.

And Zayn had spent the last month being a grumpy kitten, bored out of his mind pacing around at home, whining about the itch in his cast and how _his tail would never be the same again_ to anybody who would listen, which was Josh and Harry. Liam, _God bless him_ , had the patience of a saint and would simply smile placatingly as his hybrid ranted, and endured the splashing and kicking as he coerced Zayn into the shower, helping him so that his cast wouldn’t get wet. 

“I still like it though. It’s pretty,” said Harry as he ran his fingers over the silky fur on Zayn’s tail.

“It’s crooked!” Zayn moaned, flicking Harry’s fingers away with it.

“It’s barely noticeable. Bet you Liam still loves it though.”

“No he doesn’t!” Zayn snapped, regretting it almost immediately.

Harry’s ears perked up in surprise at his friend’s sudden outburst. “What’s the matter Zayn?”

“Nothing.”

“Don’t lie to me,” Harry threatened, “Or I’ll cut off your hair when you’re asleep.”

Zayn glared at Harry. “It’s just... I have a tail, and fucking ears on top of my head! And my tail is all crooked and ugly and...” 

“You don’t like being like that, do you? Like _us_.”

“No, Harry, It’s not like that... It’s just,” Zayn sighed, “You’re adorable, and beautiful, and lovable. And I’m not.”  
  
“What? That’s dumb and you know it. You’re supposed to be smart you know, with all those books you’re reading and all,” Harry retorted, rolling his eyes at the word “books”.

“S’not enough.”

“Not enough for what? Ah... oh.”

Zayn sighed again as realization dawned upon Harry. Reaching up to pet at his friend’s ears, Harry whispered, softly, reassuringly, “He does, you know. He does like you the way Louis likes me and I like him. It’s so obvious. It’s just that Liam has a bigger problem with saying _Fuck all_ and going after what he wants. And he’s scared because he’s so careful. He doesn’t want to force you into anything because he isn’t sure how you feel.”

“How do you know that?”

Harry grinned and leaned over conspiratorially, “You should have seen him when he found you.”

 

  

“ARGHHHH! THE FUCK IS THIS?” Zayn shrieked as something hot and sticky landed on his face, jolting him out of his sleep, “JOSH!”

“Breakfast time, sleepyhead!” the voice seemed very pleased with itself.

“You sent the toaster to wake me up? I thought we were friends, Josh!” Zayn retorted disapprovingly at the ceiling, even though he knew that Josh didn’t actually live in the ceiling.

“It gets boring to keep pranking Liam after a while,” replied the voice, and Zayn swore that if Josh had a body, he’d be shrugging unapologetically, as though spitting a hot, buttered piece of toast on someone’s face was a perfectly normal thing to do.

An unmistakable chortle came from the doorway and Zayn got up to look in the direction of Liam, the toast falling off his face and into his lap in the process.  
  
“I see you’ve fallen prey to The Voice’s pranks too,” Liam teased, his arms crossed across his bare chest.

_Wait... Wha? Bare chest. And a towel slung enticingly over his hips as droplets of water made their way down his body. Zayn swallowed nervously, not quite knowing what to say. It wasn’t that he hadn’t seen Liam half-naked before. But then it had just been quick glances, not quite enough to notice the sturdy chest and lean, defined muscle, a stark contrast to Zayn’s skinny build and softness. Liam, on the other hand, had seen Zayn naked several times, especially in the month where he had literally showered him everyday._

“I rushed out of the shower when I heard you scream,” Liam admitted, “Though on second thought I probably should have realized it was The Voice. Nobody would be able to get in here unless they’re Louis.” 

Zayn nodded and looked down, trying to focus on something else and eventually resting his gaze on the piece of toast in his lap instead.

Liam strode over easily and wrapped Zayn in his arms. _Nice arms_. “How do you feel about a holiday, Zayn?”  
  
“A holiday?” Zayn looked up at Liam quizzically. Liam never took holidays. He had been down with a high fever and a cold one morning and still insisted on hauling himself to work, despite Zayn and Josh’s best efforts to keep him indoors. He’d even go in early sometimes, way before Zayn got up, just to catch up on work.

“We’ll start up the shuttler, and go traveling for a month in America. We could go see the big roller coaster at the Empire State Building* in New York, or we could go to Disneyland. You love Disney don’t you?”

Zayn’s interest was piqued at the mention of Disney, but still he asked, cautiously, “How about your job?”

“I figured I’ve accumulated enough days off to go for a month-long holiday, haven’t I?”

Grinning, Zayn asked, “And can we see Steve and Tony’s Avengers Tower** too? And the Museum of Natural History? Please?” 

Liam nodded fondly at his hybrid, pulling Zayn closer for a hug.

 _That went well_ , he thought.

  

  

“You’re what!?” Louis had exclaimed, surprised when Liam had revealed the great American vacation plan to him.

“I’m taking a month off from Tumblr to take Zayn traveling,” Liam repeated patiently, not at all affected by Louis, “And you two are invited.”

“You couldn’t just do the normal thing and tell him you like him?” Louis retorted, only to be met with a look of surprise from his best friend, “Look, I’m not blind, alright. Even Harry can tell you’re paws over tails for each other. And what, you’re going to pop the question at Ariel’s castle***, get down on one knee and all that jazz?”

_Even now, Liam couldn’t believe how well Louis knew him - not one for big gestures and elaborate plans unless it really, really mattered. And Zayn - Zayn was the something - no, the someone - that really mattered. No one outside of his family or Louis had mattered this much to him for a long time. Deep down inside though, Liam wanted to offer Zayn a choice - a choice to see the world, try new things, perhaps even meet new people or other hybrids - before Liam suggested that they take things further. The hybrid was shit at acting - if he even tried at all - and Liam had not missed the lingering gazes, the downcast eyes whenever he left the house, and how Zayn would lean into him every movie night. And though he knew that Zayn’s reply would probably be yes (even if he hadn’t quite grasped the concept of romance beyond what he saw in the movies), Liam wanted to be sure._

_Still_ , Liam thought, _This is the gentlemanly thing to do._

“Humor me, won’t you,” Liam replied drily. 

Louis’s face broke out in a grin as he planted a kiss on his best friend’s cheek, “Sure Liam, anything for you.”

Two days later, a new sign had been tacked on to Louis’s Buns’ door.

 

CLOSED FOR THE NEXT MONTH  
IN PURSUIT OF TRUE LOVE

 XOXOXOXO,  
LOUIS&HARRY

 

*In the year 2051 a King Kong themed roller coaster was built running through the Empire State Building in New York to jazz up the cityscape and make the once iconic building more relevant.

**In 2031, Marvel finally announced what many of their readers had suspected all along - the coming out of Captain America and Iron Man. Since Disney still owned the rights to the franchise, a model of Stark Tower was built in Disneyland Orlando, and quickly became one of the most popular attractions in the park.

***Being the first Disney princess who was widely considered half-fish, Ariel the Little Mermaid quickly became a symbol of hybrid representation in popular culture.


	7. Can you feel the love tonight?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Liam&Zayn, Louis&Harry and Disney. That is all

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: Author is an Asian who lived in the USA for some time, and has nothing against any of the places mentioned in this story. EVERYTHING IS FICTIONAL.

One of the best things about the early 22nd century, Liam decided, was that “ _world peace_ ”, or as Liam liked to call it, “ _an uneasy truce among nations_ ” had been achieved at the tail end of the 2000s and most of the world now shared airspaces and borders, with fuss-free immigration procedures. Airplanes had been phased out for commercial use and really, only the rich and terribly old-fashioned still had private jets. 

One of the worst things about the early 22nd century, Liam decided, was that air travel consisted of being in an enclosed space with an overly excited best friend, an overly excited AI which was overly excited by presence of previously mentioned best friend, said best friend’s clingy part-cat boyfriend, and a paranoid part-cat, who, if things worked out, would be Liam’s boyfriend soon enough.

Right now, things did not seem to be working out at all.

Zayn had always been a little nervous about flying on Liam’s shuttler, but Liam could literally see his tail freeze up and his knuckles turn white as he gripped onto his seat for dear life, just as The Voice announced that they would be flying over the North Atlantic Ocean.

“You okay there, Zaynie?” Liam reached out to put a reassuring hand over Zayn’s shaking one. 

“Yeah, yeah I’m fine. It’s not like we’re going to crash into anything or lose power and fall into the sea right? Because I can’t swim and I hate water and...”

“No we won’t,” Liam smiled, “Solar power remember? And The Voice is smart enough to take us there safely.”

“Why thank you, Liam. I see being with Zayn has finally taught you some _manners_.” The Voice responded haughtily

“What Liam means,” Louis leaned over and stage-whispered, “is that we have to get there before sunset, or we’ll fall into the sea because there is no sunlight.”

 

It was a very long seven hours before the four finally arrived at their hotel in Washington D.C.

 

As it turned out, the hotel had mixed up their reservations, and Liam and Zayn found themselves facing two very lonely-looking and tiny single beds in Room 1210.

“No human radiator tonight then,” Liam shrugged and looked to Zayn who only shook his head and half-pushed Liam to the nearest single, scooting up against him until he hit the wall.

“Fits right,” Zayn whispered into his neck as the two lay down, closer than before. The hybrid pressed up against Liam as he made himself comfortable, seemingly unaware of the fact that his actions were making his human companion stir to life from under him.

Liam groaned as his hybrid quickly drifted into snores while still clamped around him. It would be a _long, hard night_ indeed.

 

 

They go to the museums the next day and Liam tries to take Zayn’s collar off, saying _we don’t need it in this state_ because in apparently in parts of America, hybrids can roam free, can work and even live alone. Washington D.C’s one of the more progressive ones, with civil partnerships being made available for human-hybrid pairs. But Zayn refuses, saying he likes the black band around his neck and _Liam you’re cramping my style_. So Liam grins and doesn’t admit that the **PAYNE** on Zayn’s neck gives him tingly feelings. _He’s that possessive thank you_. The collar gets him a few stares, but Zayn doesn’t seem bothered.

They spend a long time at the Hybrid history section of the Museum of Natural History. Zayn reads about Blaine, the first successful boy-puppy hybrid who was born in Ohio in 2075. Blaine hadn’t lived long though - he succumbed to lung disease five years later - but his birth had paved the way for more hybrids to be introduced and legalized for sale, eventually taking over the pet market.

“So many of us here,” Zayn whispers as he watches the unmoving, lifelike exhibits. Some have wings, some have manes, others are the size of infants - humans crossed with toy breeds that will never grow to adult size.

There is some about the Equality movement, and a world map of countries with varying degrees of hybrid rights and permissions.

“We’re here,” Liam says, fingers ghosting over **England** , marked out in dark blue - where hybrids get to go to school and the right to free medical access, but still have to be collared (though leashes had been abolished two years ago) and are not allowed to work.

Nodding, Zayn looks at the **United States of America** \- where they are now, and sees the red, blues, blacks and greens dotting the country, representing each state and their varying degrees of permissions. **Canada** is a full, proud green - standing for complete equality. Most of **Asia** is in black - where hybrids are strictly considered pets. 

Zayn mentally checks the green areas on the map and swears to get over his fear of flying one day.

New York is a disaster for the most part because Harry somehow manages to convince/plead/beg/throw a tantrum until Zayn agrees to give the Empire State roller coaster a try. In the excitement of the moment and because New York is a green state, Louis proposes to Harry just as they take the plunge, only to have to have all the attention robbed from them by Zayn’s bloodcurdling scream of terror.

It is a puke fest for a good 30 minutes after the ride and Zayn pouts and refuses to talk to any of them, _or let go of Liam_ (who is pretty shaken too but is doing a pretty good job of hiding it). But then they find a vegan ice cream spot (no regular ice cream, because Zayn and Harry are lactose-intolerant) and all is well.

Somewhere on the way to catch _Cats_ on Broadway (the irony is not lost on any of them), Harry suddenly remembers the proposal and asks Louis if he’s serious. And Louis makes a dramatic show of getting down on one knee and proposing to Harry with an ice cream cone. Harry accepts in tears, and Liam wonders why on earth he asked them to come along.

Disneyland is a riot and Zayn insists on getting Tony Stark’s signature black shirt with a glowing arc reactor chest. The look is a sort of _understated cool_ on him until he puts on a pair of green Tinkerbell wings and Minnie ears, and forces Liam into a skintight Captain America shirt. Harry gets a tiara and a tutu and looks no less ridiculous than a four-eared Zayn with wings. Louis heroically refuses, but eventually caves and changes into a Peter Pan shirt.

They catch a showing at Ariel’s castle where Zayn, Harry and Louis sob through Ariel’s rendition of “Part of Your World” and sing along spiritedly when it comes to  _I wanna be where the people are_. They spend two hours exploring Steve and Tony’s Avengers Tower and buy an entire bag of Avengers merchandise. Louis spends the entire day annoying the other three by shooting dummy arrows at them from a Hawkeye bow.

Texas is a black state and they don’t enjoy it very much, though Zayn and Harry seem to think that the thick strings connecting their collars to their companions is a hilarious addition at first. They go to a few attractions but Zayn and Harry start to get uncomfortable watching other hybrids sitting on the floor or leashed to posts, mostly silent. So Liam bundles them into the first hybrid-friendly restaurant they see and they get some good ol’ Texan BBQ before hurriedly getting into the shuttler and heading for the West Coast.

Vegas is magnificent and they get spectacularly drunk. The four of them somehow wake up in Louis and Harry’s bed in varying degrees of nakedness, but no one says a thing or brings it up ever again. Los Angeles is beautiful, but _too much_ for them. Then they go on to the Yosemite Falls and the Grand Canyon before arriving at the final stop on their itinerary.

 

 

It had to be San Francisco, Liam decided. He had a speech ready, and Louis and Harry suitably distracted. He was ready.  
Except he wasn’t. But he was.

“Where’re we going, and where’s Louis and Harry?” Zayn asked, noticing that the couple had disappeared from their sides for the first time since the trip. 

“Surprise,” Liam grinned enigmatically and Zayn just went along with it.

Somewhere along the way to wherever Liam was taking them, he held out his hand and took Zayn in his. Zayn flushed at the contact, because Liam’s hand was _so warm_ , and having Liam to himself for all these weeks was beginning to make him feel things like what Harry had described about Louis. And Liam’s face - _his kind eyes, his sharp nose and his rosy lips_ made Zayn even more flustered as he wondered just where Liam was leading them to.

Zayn hadn’t even realized that they had stopped at a quiet street corner until Liam turned abruptly, face just inches from him.

“You know,” Liam started, “I haven’t been the best companion.”

Zayn looked up and made to interrupt. To say, _no, how could you think that Liam? You’re the best, really. You can do no wrong and you're made of sunshine and you poop rainbows and I like you but you’re too dumb to notice and you just light up my world._

But Liam held up a hand to stop him and continued, “I’m never at home, and I’m not really great at expressing myself.”

“But we’re here now, in America. I’ve always wanted to do a great road trip here y’know. After Uni and all, but somehow life got in the way and I got a proper job and started doing proper adult things. And I just pushed aside my dreams of traveling the world for a while. Until Louis came back into my life and turned it into crazy town. And then Harry came along. And then you.”

Liam paused to check that Zayn was still listening and found his hybrid gazing up at him with interested, if not confused, eyes.

“I like old things. I like to learn about the world before I came to make sense of it. I like to learn about how things came to be. Sometimes I think the people of the 21st century were crazy. But then, aren’t we too?”

Liam took a deep breath and continued, “Right here, they call this The Castro District. And back when humans were still fighting about whether two men or two women could love each other. This place was where gay, lesbian, transgendered and people with every permutation of sexuality came to find themselves a place where they’d be accepted, and even celebrated.”

“And look where we are now,” Liam smiled at Zayn, “Before them we fought to abolish slavery, to give women equal rights. Every generation we’re fighting for something that the people of the future will scoff at us for.”

“And you, Zayn. There’s you. Before you came I was content to just watch as the world changed. Live my safe, boring life and maybe settle down with a nice guy eventually. But you make me want to stand up and do something. To have the world recognize you as my equal. I want people to see you for you, not your tail, or your ears or your olive skin or anything else that makes you different. Nobody should think I’m any better than you. And I love you.”

“So Zayn, Will you be mine?”

Realization dawned on Zayn as what Liam was asking him began to make sense in his head. It was all coming too fast and he hadn’t caught the moment when Liam’s history lesson had turned into a full blown confession. Stupidly, Zayn could only stutter, “Like... like Louis and Harry?”

Liam shook his head, a bemused smile forming on his face, “No, like _Liam and Zayn_.”

And Zayn pulled his human companion... no, _boyfriend_ down for a kiss, tail coming up to twine around Liam’s arm possessively.

“I love you too, Liam. I do.”

_To infinity and beyond_


	8. Right side of history

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Basically there is !virginZayn and !gentleLiam smut, which you can skip over because it's irrelevant to the story and there only because Zayn and Liam shagging is hot.
> 
> Who am I kidding really everybody in the 1D fandom is a pervert.

Liam knelt between Zayn’s splayed legs, looking down on his hybrid, _his boyfriend_ with adoration as he bent to kiss away the sweat on his brow.

Picking up Zayn’s right thigh easily to rest on his left hip, Liam coated a finger liberally with lube, pausing to appreciate how perfect Zayn was - sleek black tail leading to a smooth cleft, rounded cheeks pushing apart to reveal a tiny, pink hairless hole. 

“Now... Li, now!” the hybrid was pleading by now, wanting Liam to _just get on with it_ , not hover above him this way, teasing him mercilessly as his fingers ran all over Zayn’s body, touching the hybrid in ways he never even imagined. And Liam wondered how this wide-eyed, innocent hybrid that he picked up from the shelter just less than a year ago was capable of looking so utterly _sexy_ and _debauched_.

Liam leaned forward and whispered in his ear, “Tell me Zayn, have you done this before?”

“Once... just once. Fingers,” he gasped, “Thinking of you.”

At that, Liam circled the twitching hole, prodding the thick ring of muscle, only to be met with resistance. “So tight, Zaynie.”

Zayn groaned as he blindly scrambled to push back on Liam’s thick digit, “Please.”

“I’ll make you feel good, baby,” Liam pushed past his entrance to work a finger in, searching for the sweet spot that he knew would make Zayn buck and moan. “So good for me.” 

Zayn bit his lip and ground down on the finger in him as Liam hit the bundle of nerves in him over and over again, determined to take in more.

“Can you take one more, Zee?” Liam asked only to be met with frantic nodding as Zayn’s tail came up to wind around his hand, as though prompting him to go faster. “So impatient,” he teased, moving down to suck a bruise into the hybrid neck, not missing the groans that he got in return.

Coating his fingers with more lube, Liam worked another finger into Zayn, making him cry out as Liam’s fingers repeatedly brushed over his sweet spot. “Li... Li...”

“One more, baby. One more,” Liam bent down to kiss Zayn once more as he pushed a third finger in, moving in and out to stretch the tight, twitching hole. Zayn bucked down even more, chasing that enticing fullness as he begged, pleaded for Liam to just get on with it and _get the fuck in_. “Quick, Li. I want you now...”

“No so fast, Zee. Gotta stretch you first,” Liam cooed as Zayn’s movements became more frantic, frenzied as he searched desperately for Liam to go _deeper, harder_.

“Fuck that! Get in. Want to feel you...” he breathed.

“No...”

“Yes!” Zayn all but screamed as he made grabby hands towards Liam, pulling him forward so that their noses crashed together.

Liam could only nod, senses clouded by arousal as he sat up, squirting more lube on his cock before pushing himself in inch by inch, eliciting a gasp from the boy beneath him.

“Big.” Zayn gasped as Liam continued to push in. Slowly, teasingly. “More.” 

Liam was almost all the way in by now. “Am I hurting you, baby?”

Zayn shook his head frantically, desperately wanting nothing but _moremoremore_ as he moved his hips down on his dick, legs clamping over Liam’s toned waist, his body quickly adjusting to the fullness and demanding for Liam to just _move_.

So Liam moved, his hips picking up speed as he snapped against the hybrid, the sweet moans falling from the boy’s ears music to him as he pummeled his cock in and out of Zayn. The room silent, save for the sound of skin on skin and their wordless sounds of passion. Sharp fingernails found purchase on Liam’s back as Zayn held on for dear life, his struggle to keep up with Liam evidenced by the fine, red lines making their way down the larger boy’s back.

Zayn’s dick rubbed against Liam’s well-defined abs, an angry red, spilling precum as Zayn felt himself closer and closer to climax. “Soon, am gonna come soon, Li,” he mumbled, as though asking for permission.

At that, Liam clenched a fist over Zayn’s hardness, rubbing the tip mercilessly, relentless until finally, his boyfriend was coming, cries spilling from his mouth in an endless litany of _LiamLiamLiam_ and _harderpleasefuck_. “Come for me love. C’mon.” Zayn clenched uncontrollably around Liam as he reached orgasm, pushing Liam over the edge as he spilled deep into the hybrid.

Pulling out, Liam surveyed his handiwork - splotches were beginning to form on Zayn’s hips where his thick fingers had pressed into them, and the boy looked absolutely wrecked, mouth falling open with white liquid oozing out of his hole, his legs still impossibly splayed around Liam.

“That was good baby. You were so good.” Liam whispered before picking up the boy easily and carrying him into the shower, the hybrid pliant against him as he nuzzled further into Liam’s neck.

 

 

Liam was the first to wake in morning to a familiar warm presence by his side. Careful not to wake Zayn, he quickly got dressed before crouching over his boyfriend to wake him up.

“Wake up sleepy kitty.” he whispered. 

“No,” Zayn batted a hand in Liam’s direction, “Go’way.”

“I’ll make you pancakes,” Liam promised as he tugged on Zayn’s hand, meeting his reluctant eyes. “Big day today, baby.”

“What?”

“We’re going to the parade, remember?”

At that, Zayn sat up, almost doing a double take as his _human_ boyfriend smiled back at him, his fingers scratching awkwardly at his neck as Zayn surveyed him.

Liam had wings. Not just wings, but black feathered wings, the universal symbol for hybrid equality. He was wearing a tank top that showed off his muscled arms _oh-so-perfectly_ , a graphic of the legendary _Lady Gaga_ and her famous slogan “ **Born This Way** ” emblazoned across his torso. And, were those _furry ears_ on his head?

“You look...” Zayn struggled to find the right word, “weird.”

“I know, not many people carry off these  like you do,” Liam fiddled with the ears on his head even more awkwardly, “But I figured it was suitable for the parade.”

“I like it,” Zayn laughed, “It’s a cute kind of weird.”

 

 

Arm firmly around Zayn’s waist, Liam clapped along to the fiery speeches and waved at the floats that went past on Mission Street that Sunday afternoon. Louis was next to him - Harry latched firmly to his side - decked out in an equally ridiculous getup, with a furry tail to boot, as they shouted and sang, to campaign for _full equality._

Liam couldn’t tell which were the hybrids and which were the humans as the marchers, all dressed in bright colors and wearing wings of all shapes, came dancing down the road. One with bunny ears tried to kiss Liam, only to be interrupted by a very possessive and jealous Zayn, who pulled his boyfriend away for a kiss of his own.

“ **No freedom till we’re equal!** ” said the man on the stage, whose name Liam couldn’t catch.

And Liam knew that that couldn’t be more true.

_No freedom till we’re equal._

Right there, Liam felt his heart swell with pride as he watched Louis&Harry hug and wave and jump and scream their lungs out. Zayn, the love of his life, as he looked back at Liam, mirroring an expression that Liam knew all too well - _like Liam was the only thing on earth that mattered_. And Liam reciprocated by pulling the one person he treasured more than anything else in the world closer to him, whispering sweet nothings and endless promises into his ear.

_How wonderful is this feeling_ , Liam thought, _to be standing on the right side of history_.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Finally, the end! This story started out with the ambitious intention of being a satirical piece. As it turns out, Natalli is no George Orwell, so it quickly morphed into a sort of comedy-fluff with a bit of social commentary. 
> 
> We (Natalli, !futureLiam and !kittyZayn) hope you've enjoyed reading this piece as much as !realLiam and !realZayn have enjoyed toying with our feels and making us question our existence and the universe in general. Until our next piece, KEEP CALM AND SHIP ZIAM.


End file.
